Mid-Autumn Festival Lanterns with FREE Step by Step Guide

Carrying a lantern during Mid-Autumn Festival was something that I did throughout my childhood. Why lanterns? Actually, there is a beautiful history behind it. During my time teaching art & music in the Chinese immersion program, making lanterns were one of the most popular crafts, everyone loved it. So let me introduce an EASY 7 Step Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern.

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There are a lot of ways to make a simple paper lantern. You can find them all over the internet.

However, today I’m going to show you the EASIEST way to make one. It is even a perfect Chinese craft to make with toddlers or kids up to the 6th graders.

For younger children, use the easier pattern and coloring pages, they will need more time (at least 2 classes) to finish the whole lantern.

For older children, you can let them pick their own pattern and coloring page. They should be able to do it all by themselves as long as you show them the steps.

Materials that You Need

Easy 7 Steps

1. Print out the lantern pattern (three choices: preschoolers, kindergarteners, or upper level), and an inner page (either colored or black and white).

2. Lantern Pattern: Cutting along the dotted lines first cut and set aside the top strip that has writing on it. Then, fold the remaining portion in half (Hotdog fold) . Follow the dotted lines and leave an uncut border around the edge.

3. Inner Page: Using scissors, cut out the inner page. If you have a black and white one, color the page.

4. Put glue or double-sided tape on the top strip (the bar with lines in it). Unfold the lantern patternand align page so that the cut slits are going top to bottom. Align the top and right edges together. Secure into place.

5. Put glue or double-sided tape on the bottom strip (the bar with lines in it). Align the bottom and right edges together. Secure into place. (The Lantern Pattern is larger than the inner page. This allows it to protrude outward.

6. On the left-hand side, there will be a strip of the inner page not covered by the lantern pattern. Place glue on this strip, wrap it around backward and secure it to the left edge forming a tube.

7.Use the strip that was set aside to make a handle by attaching the ends to opposite sides of one end of the inner tube.

You are ready for the Mid-Autumn Festival!

Let See How We Did

It was the 1st time my children made their own lantern, they were very excited. My 5-year-old could do most of the things by herself, I was impressed. It also allowed me time to help my 3-year-old, especially with cutting out the lantern pattern. Even though she was having a bit of a hard time, after we worked together, she felt great about what she could accomplish.

Let’s Make the Lanterns

Freebies

There are 3 versions for freebies. {Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and English}

There are 2 patterns for the lantern and 2 choices for the inner page, colored or black and white. The 1st choice is the Moon Lady and rabbit, the other one is children playing lanterns, and a family eating moon cakes together.